Despite Flyers' result, Voracek pleased with personal progress

Washington Capitals’ Joel Rechlicz, right, celebrates with John Carlson and others after scoring a goal during a shootout in a preseason game against the Flyers Monday in Philadelphia. Washington won 4-3 in a shootout. (Associated Press)

PHILADELPHIA — One long preseason game into a season that follows an all-too eventful offseason, Jake Voracek is certain of one thing ...

No, it isn’t that shootouts in the preseason are a waste of time.

Voracek had a goal and assist in the Flyers’ preseason home opener Monday night, but they would be overshadowed by a late Washington Capitals comeback and eventually a 4-3 extended shootout victory for the visitors at half-empty Wells Fargo Center.

A bunch of guys missed badly in the shootout before somebody scored for Washington.

Details? They don’t matter.

What does matter to Voracek is that as much as this was little more than a long practice game, his game seems to be right where he left it last April. That’s when Voracek finished strong in his best season as an NHL player, though one that was disappointing in that it ended with the Flyers missing the playoffs.

Maybe that’s why it didn’t seem that special to him. Or was it something else, too?

“The last two seasons since I’ve been here, I think I’ve played the same hockey,” Voracek said. “I’ve been very consistent. It’s just that last year I put up more points than I used to. I think that was the biggest difference for you guys, because that showed up in the papers. But for me, effort-wise and feeling-wise on the ice, I didn’t change anything. I still tried to play my heart out. And everything is going to come from that.”

Regardless, amid a cast of mostly Washington youngsters and a split squad of Flyers, Voracek’s effort still stood out.

In a game that from an entertainment standpoint didn’t really get going until the second period, Voracek essentially reversed momentum that the Capitals had gained while scoring the game’s first two goals.

He scored a goal off a nifty Jason Akeson assist with just 45 seconds left in the second period to get the Flyers’ heads in the game. Then after Most Visible Newcomer Vinny Lecavalier scored to tie it at 1:53 of the third period, Voracek and Sean Couturier helped rising Phantom Akeson score a go-ahead goal at 6:09.

That would have gone down as a winner if Washington’s Ryan Stoa hadn’t jumped on an indecisive clear attempt by goalie Ray Emery and re-deposited it with just 21.7 ticks left on the regulation clock.

But hey ... it’s September.

“For me, it’s still offseason right now,” Voracek said. “I’m still waiting for Oct. 2 (the season opener against Toronto). It’s just good to get that first game in. It’s too bad we didn’t get the win but I think we played solid.”

The Flyers did just that both at home and at Air Canada Centre, where their traveling squad also went into a shootout against the Toronto Maple Leafs ... and actually won it there for a 3-2 decision.

Yes, a win by shootout. This must be the preseason.

Anyway, if it is still late in the offseason for Voracek, he has to have a better feeling than he did early on in the offseason.

Not only were Voracek and the rest of the Flyers looking for something to do in May, he was left with a sore left ankle after having a wreck near his home in the Czech Republic.

Voracek’s blue Ferrari was totaled after he lost control of it while trying to pass another vehicle, and slammed into a pole.

Voracek, who said he was only going 5-10 mph over the speed limit while passing the other vehicle, was ticketed after the incident. But he was left with something much more important — the conviction that the Ferrari is a hell of a car.

“It’s really safe,” Voracek said. “The middle of the car didn’t move at all. If I drove something less safe it would have been much worse. Thank God I was driving that car because it probably saved my life because of its safety.”

If one preseason game nearly four months later is any indication, Voracek’s brush with danger hasn’t messed with the speed he can muster on skates. He showed some quick chemistry with Couturier while usual partner Claude Giroux continues to mend from an offseason accident of his own on the golf course.

“He wins so many more battles on the ice,” Voracek said of Couturier. “I’ve already seen in training camp, that with the first step he’s quicker than he used to be. And he wins so many more battles along the boards because he’s so much stronger. It’s great to see him play like that.”

That said, Voracek has learned this offseason to exercise a certain amount of caution, too. Faced with soft volleys about how well he seemed to play next to Couturier, Voracek said, “It’s the first game of the year. We had a good game, but we’ll just go back to work tomorrow. We could have a bad game tomorrow, who knows? ... it’s still too early to talk about chemistry.”

NOTES: Giroux expedited his recovery from being stabbed with the shaft of a golf club again Monday by taking hard shot drills at the morning practice. He reported that all was still well. ... Took several shootout rounds until Washington’s Joel Rechlicz scored the winner past Emery. Rechlicz has three goals and 1,123 penalty minutes as a pro. ... Top draft pick Sam Morin set up Lecavalier’s tying goal with a picture-perfect look for a power play goal.